Thanksgiving is a time for family, friends, and of course, delicious food. And what Thanksgiving feast is complete without a heaping helping of stuffing? Whether you call it stuffing or dressing, this classic side dish is always a crowd-pleaser.
But with so many different stuffing recipes out there, it can be hard to know where to start. That’s where Serious Eats comes in. We’ve got you covered with a wide variety of stuffing recipes to suit every taste, from classic sage and sausage stuffing to Southern cornbread dressing with oysters and sausage to vegan stuffing and even non-traditional options like Chinese steamed sticky rice and bejeweled Israeli couscous.
No matter what your preference, we’ve got a stuffing recipe that will make your Thanksgiving meal unforgettable. So gather your ingredients, preheat your oven, and get ready to create a stuffing masterpiece.
Top 11 Stuffing Recipes from Serious Eats:
-
Classic Sage and Sausage Stuffing (Dressing): This recipe is the platonic ideal of Thanksgiving stuffing, with a custard-like texture and all the classic flavors you know and love. You can bake it in the oven or try Kenji’s slow cooker method for extra moist results.
-
Cornbread Dressing With Sausage and Sage: This Southern-style dressing is made with unsweetened cornbread, giving it a more crisp and crumbly texture. It’s perfect for anyone who loves the taste of cornbread.
-
Southern Cornbread Dressing With Oysters and Sausage: This recipe takes the classic cornbread dressing and adds a touch of elegance with the addition of oysters The briny flavor of the oysters complements the sausage and aromatics perfectly,
-
Prune and Apple Stuffing With Sausage and Chestnuts: This moist and custardy stuffing is flavored with warm spices and aromatic sage. It’s studded with sweet chestnuts, savory sausage, tart apples, and sherry-soaked prunes, making it a perfect accompaniment to roast turkey, chicken, duck, or goose.
-
Popeye’s Buttermilk Biscuit Stuffing: This stuffing recipe is an ode to our love of Popeye’s flaky, tender buttermilk biscuits. The biscuits are toasted, soaked in a mixture of stock, cream, and eggs, and then embellished with sweet Italian sausage, onion, celery, carrots, and fennel.
-
Chorizo and Green Olive Stuffing: This recipe takes a global approach to stuffing, using Spanish saffron, smoky paprika-infused chorizo, and firm, meaty green olives to create a flavorful and unique dish.
-
The Best Vegan Stuffing: For those who don’t eat meat, this vegan stuffing is a delicious and satisfying option. It uses mushrooms instead of sausage for a “meaty” flavor, and toasted pecans add texture.
-
Thanksgiving Stuffed Roast Pumpkins: This recipe takes a vegetarian approach to Thanksgiving stuffing by using roasted pumpkins as a vessel for a flavorful stuffing made with mashed kabocha squash, bread, cooked kale and mushrooms, pepitas, pecans, Gruyère, and spiced cream.
-
Crown Roast of Lamb With Couscous Stuffing and Pistachio-Mint Sauce: This recipe is a showstopper, offering a majestic alternative to the usual Thanksgiving turkey. The couscous stuffing is bejeweled with flavorful dried fruit and pistachio, and the lamb is served with a pistachio-mint sauce.
-
Lo Mai Gai (Chinese Sticky Rice Wrapped in Lotus Leaf): This recipe is a nod to Chinese culinary traditions, using sticky rice steamed with bits of mushroom, dried shrimp, and sausage as a stuffing alternative.
-
Latke-Crusted Turkey Stuffing Fritters With Liquid Cranberry Core and Schmaltz Gravy: This recipe is a Thanksgiving-Hanukkah mashup, combining crispy latkes, classic sage and sausage stuffing, and a cranberry sauce core. It’s served with a side of turkey schmaltz gravy.
No matter what your taste or dietary restrictions, there’s a Serious Eats stuffing recipe out there for you. So get creative, have fun, and enjoy the deliciousness of Thanksgiving stuffing!
Getting Stuffed: Adding Ingredients to the Stuffing
When Kenji actually suggested stuffing fritters to me, I knew right away what I wanted to do. I’ve been working on perfecting a really good hush puppy recipe, so I thought that if I added some stuffing standards, I would have a fried version of my cornbread stuffing, which is a Thanksgiving table staple.
The first question was what to add to the batter to give it an unmistakable Thanksgiving flavor. Using the standard onion and celery, which normally develop a softened texture and sweet flavor when roasted, I started by sweating them in butter. I added a generous amount of sage and thyme towards the very end of cooking to give it that comforting herbal flavor.
These fritters were light and fluffy when mixed into my cornmeal batter and deep-fried, but their balance was more hush puppy-sweet than the savory stuffing I was going for. Thus, I expanded on that base by incorporating finely chopped Granny Smith apples, which effectively shifted these fritters into the realm of stuffing.
But I didnt stop there. I also tried another favorite stuffing mix-in—sausage. My guest tasters were mixed with this one. Although the sausage tasted good, it also brought a distinct texture that didn’t blend well with the other soft vegetables and apples. I decided to exclude the sausage from the finished recipe, siding with those who weren’t as fond of it. You can experiment with other stuffing-friendly ingredients like cranberries, nuts, or mushrooms, or feel free to add it in.
Classic Sage and Sausage Stuffing
How do you make a kosher turkey stuffing?
In a small bowl, combine remaining butter with remaining parsley and oregano. Add 1 tablespoon kosher salt and 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper. Stir with a fork until homogenous. Rub mixture evenly over and under turkey skin. Transfer to oven and roast until stuffing starts to brown, about 45 minutes.
How long does turkey stuffing take to cook?
The stuffing comes loaded with turkey flavor, but if you want even more, make sure to stuff the cavity under the breast and under the flap of fat near the neck with stuffing as well before you start to roast. The best part? The whole process goes from fridge to table in under two hours. How’s that for a fast holiday meal?
How do you seal a Turkey with stuffing?
Using rubber gloves, clean kitchen towels or tongs, carefully return the hot bag of stuffing to the interior of the turkey. Cross the turkey’s legs and tie tightly to seal.
How do you cook a kosher turkey in the oven?
Add 1 tablespoon kosher salt and 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper. Stir with a fork until homogenous. Rub mixture evenly over and under turkey skin. Transfer to oven and roast until stuffing starts to brown, about 45 minutes. Remove from oven, transfer turkey to a wire rack set in a foil-lined rimmed baking sheet, and return turkey to oven.